USD enrollment numbers down from 2013

Student enrollment numbers for 2014 at the University of South Dakota suggest a decrease of 174 full-time and part-time students from last year, totaling at a headcount of 10,061, according to a recent South Dakota Board of Regents report.

Scott Pohlson, vice president of marketing, enrollment and university relations, said statically at USD the estimated 0.3 percent decrease in enrollment is because of the drop in part-time students enrolled.

“Our goal was to increase the number of first-time, full-time students enrolled at the university,” Pohlson said.

This year, a total of 1,138 first-year, full-time students enrolled at USD. The fluctuation pushed full-time enrollment at the undergraduate level to 65 percent this year, a three-percent increase from last year, Pohlson said.

During his State of the University Address last month, President James Abbott said the need to focus more attention on getting more students to enroll on increasing student enrollment at the university.

“Increasing the number of first-time, full-time students on campus is critical,” Abbott said. “In a world that moves very fast, we have to move in a way that is attractive to students.”​

Although there is always room for improvement, Pohlson said a national perspective does come into play.

“In terms of what is going on nationally, there is a declining trend in high school graduate rates, and students like to take online courses or attend university centers,” Pohlson said.

Despite the national contraction, Pohlson said USD leads South Dakota four-year public institutions with 334 dual-enrollment students, which gives high school students a head start on their college education.

“We want students to have access to an education,” Pohlson said. “We also want students with higher academic quality and students who are looking to challenge themselves.”

Pohlson said recruitment has continued to develop through the years, despite the part-time student enrollment decline over the past few years.

“We want a more vibrant campus, which is evident where we put our money,” Pohlson said. “It’s a great campus to show the students what we have to offer.”

Although the numbers are in for this year’s enrollment, recruitment is consistently planning for the following year in conjunction with enrollment.

The budget for recruitment comes in part from student tuition, along with money from the USD Alumni Association and donors. Admissions has a specific focus on contiguous states because of the amount of opportunity “right in our backyard,” Pohlson said.

Each year is different in planning the budget because of the fluctuation in the numbers reported. Pohlson did not have the numbers available during his interview and did not respond to a follow-up email asking for the recruitment budgets of the past few years.

Mckenzy Raterman, an admissions counselor at USD, is one of the counselors who works year-round to recruit students.
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She is in charge of 35 schools in south central South Dakota, including Mitchell and Chamberlain.

“We have travel seasons, so I will go to my schools and days when I’m out of the office I meet with students,” she said.

In addition to visiting high schools, admissions counselors reach potential students through telephone, email, sending postcards and utilizing social media.

“Students like to text and Facebook me with questions,” Raterman said.

Even though Raterman and other admissions counselors do a lot of traveling and push out information about USD, she said a major goal is to build relationships with the high school counselors because they are the ones with potential students day to day throughout the process of deciding on secondary education.

“It is important to let students know what they need in advance, because senior year can be stressful,” Raterman said.

A relationship with potential students is also crucial for recruitment, especially when they travel to USD’s campus, which Raterman said gives the opportunity to get a feel of the university.

“Our focus is on the individual visit — have them sit in on a class, maybe meet a professor,” Pohlson said.

Recruitment isn’t merely focused on undergraduates. Hope Johnson, a graduate student in school counseling, was drawn to USD after receiving her undergraduate degree at South Dakota State University because of the numerous graduate programs offered.

“USD has a lot for students who want to go beyond their bachelor’s degree,” Johnson said. “They have more to offer than any other state school.”

(Photo: From the left: Jared Jaton, a Lincoln High School senior, Izaak Richeson, a prospective student from Arizona and Kathy Jaton are led on a camus tour by junior student ambassador Emily Jansen. Malachi Petersen / The Volante)